An abundance of weather data is provided to help pilots in provide a safe and controlled flight. For example, a pilot may receive NOTAM (Notices to Airmen), e.g. hazards such as air-shows, closed runways, military exercises; D-ATIS (Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service), e.g. weather, runway, approach information; METAR, e.g. weather report used by pilots as part of a pre-flight weather briefing; TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast), e.g. weather forecast applicable to a five mile radius from the center of an airport runway; SIGMET (Significant Meteorological Information), e.g. meteorological information concerning safety of all aircraft; AIRMET (Airmen's Meteorological Information), e.g. weather along an air route that may affect aircraft safety; TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions), e.g. sporting events, national disaster areas, space launches, etc.; PIREP (Pilot Report), an actual weather condition encountered by an aircraft in flight; FAA delays; winds; route weather; graphical weather data; etc.
In contrast, a pilot may generate a PIREP, which is a report of actual weather conditions encountered by an aircraft during a flight. The PIREP is typically transmitted to the nearest ground station via voice or datalink. The data is then encoded and relayed to other weather offices and air traffic service units. These PIREPs are organized in accordance with a specific FAA approved format utilizing a number of abbreviations that may be difficult to remember. Due to these complexities, a pilot may be discouraged from creating and sending a PIREP.
Many aircraft are equipped with on-board weather radar (radio detection and ranging) that detects hazardous weather and presents it on a cockpit display. These systems display weather based on the reflectivity or return echoes from the target and are color-coded on the display; i.e. green indicating light precipitation; yellow indicating moderate precipitation, possible reduced visibility, and moderate turbulence; and red indicating heavy precipitation leading to the possibility of thunderstorms, severe turbulence, and structural damage to aircraft. However, even when equipped with such on-board weather radar, the pilot must still collect the information related to bad weather, place it in PIREP format, and transmit it to ground in order to convey the weather information to ground.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to reduce pilot workload by eliminating the need to remember the PIREP format. It is therefore contemplated that a system and method be provided for facilitating the collection and formatting severe weather related information encountered during a flight, textually and graphically presenting it in proper PIREP format to a pilot for the pilot's review and concurrence, and then transmitting the PIREP to a ground station. This reduces pilot workload and provides aircraft in surrounding airspace the opportunity to avoid bad weather, especially those aircraft not equipped with weather radar. Such a system contemplates the automatic collection of the required PIREP data and presentation of the data to the pilot in the prescribed PIREP format on a display.